Looking and feeling your best often comes down to energy – So how can you have enough energy to exercise, spend time with loved ones and more?
Increasing your energy while reducing pain sounds like a great idea for most. What some people may not realize is that inflammation in the body can be one of the contributing factors behind chronic pain and a variety of other symptoms. Inflammation is the body’s response to irritation, infection, and injury. Short term inflammation protects the body, while chronic inflammation can lead to long term pain and damage, such as in arthritis. Diet plays a huge role in how we feel and can either contribute or reduce inflammation. There are many foods that can be used in countless types of recipes and also have great health benefits, including reducing inflammation. In addition, many major diseases that plague us — including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s — have been linked to chronic inflammation. In this blog, the Strive team has put together 3 ways that most people can reduce inflammation in the body with only minor adjustments to their daily routines, which can help reduce pain and also increase energy.
3 Ways to Increase Energy While Decreasing Pain
1. Reduce intake of foods that contribute to inflammation in the body. Some foods such as refined carbohydrates, (things like white bread and pastries), French fries and other fried foods, soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage), margarine, shortening, and lard are just a few. Reducing your intake of these foods can significantly help to reduce inflammation.
2. Increase intake of foods that actually reduce inflammation.On the other hand, there are many foods that actually reduce inflammation in our bodies, and adding more of them to your diet can help you feel better, suffer from less pain, and have more energy. These foods include tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables (things liks spinach and kale), almonds, walnuts, salmon and fruits to name a few.
3. Take the right vitamins and supplements.Do your research and consult with your doctor to find supplements that will support your overall health. Many natural herbs and plants can help, including green tea. Doctors have long suspected that green tea may fight inflammation, and it’s been noted that people who live in regions that consume more green tea have lower rates of inflammation-related illnesses.
